So who ferments in their brew kettle?

[tasteslikechicken]

I'm only two batches into my return to brewing after a decade hiatus, with both batches in primaries right now. Using BIAB + no-chill (in BK) I'm already wondering why I'm bothering to use a Better Bottle as a primary rather than just fermenting in my brew kettles.

With a healthy dose of (rehydrated) dry yeast I'm seeing the vast bulk of the primary well over in a week. So I'm wondering why I don't just use the BK as primary- just sealing up the pot with plastic wrap after pitching for two weeks and then bottling.

Minor cons:
-tying up BK.
-less hermetically sealed fermenter.
-no simple aeration of chilled wort.

I'm doing 3 gal batches in a 5 gal BK now (I have two 5 gal + a 10 gal BK) so the first issue is not a problem. Primarying in a semi-open container is nothing that isn't widely used already. And aeration shouldn't be too much of a concern with a healthy dose of yeast.

So who does this? Or has done so and experienced unspeakable horrors as a result?

 

[Sardoman]

I couldn't abide having my BK tied up like that for so long. I need consecutive batches in various stages of production in order to satisfy my thirst.

But your idea works fine if your production needs are less, or if you're rich and can afford to have a half dozen kettles.

 

[bessieflames]

So you would just leave the hops and everything in the kettle/primary? I am assuming this would be an extract brew, so no trub, right? I just don't see the point. Why tie up the brew kettle? Then you will be forcing yourself to move the beer too early if you want to brew again. Racking is so easy, why not use a better bottle?

 

[tasteslikechicken]

So you would just leave the hops and everything in the kettle/primary?

yep.

This is AG, and I only use hop pellets. People dry hop all the time with vast quantities of hops, so I'm questioning why just leaving the whole mess in the BK/primary is so bad. Even with a separate primary it seems a not uncommon approach to just dump the whole shebang in.

 

[bessieflames]

I guess the question is why? It is way easier to control the temps with a swamp cooler if it is in a carboy or bucket. I would be worried about grassy flavors by leaving the hops in for 3+ weeks of primary. Also, whirlpooling to remove a lot of the cold break/trub reduces off flavors. Buckets are so cheap, I don't know why you wouldn't free up the kettle. Yes it can be done, but why? I think you might get better results by getting it off the extra vegetable matter and trub.

 

[tasteslikechicken]

I guess the question is why?

It would be easier & faster. Less time cleaning, racking, etc. No plastic fermenters to buy/scratch up/replace. Heck, less equipment overall. Except BKs.

 

[bessieflames]

I guess it would work as long as you're not going to brew more than once every three weeks.

 

[lurker18]

I have done this on one batch, used foil over the BK to keep the big chunks of stuff out (cat hair, kids etc) and let it go. The offgassing from the fermentation should keep the bugs out (like open fermentors of the past). There was absolutely no difference in the final product. As for aerating, i used a wire wisk and made really good foam by wisking the hell out of it, there were no delays in fermentation. And after the beer was done, it is much easier to clean a wide open pot than anything that has a small neck like a carboy.
I would have no problems doing it again.

 

[ThreeSheetsBrewing]

I don't see why not. The only concern, which has been voiced, is the tying up of your BK. There is no specific designated/required process, which is wonderful part of the hobby. If that's the way you want to brew and are comfotable with it, do it!

 

[Chesterbelloc]

There's no reason why you can't ferment in brew-kettles. They are certainly easier to move and clean than conical fermenters and glass-fermenters. All you have to do is clean them thoroughly, sanitise if you so desire. Fill with some water and steam the inside for 15-minutes.

For those interested in British. Scottish, and Irish styles... the semi-open fermenter-style, that a Polarware brewpot would introduce, with greater surface area ratio is perhaps more appropriate than conical, carboy, and corny fermentation arrangements.



Over the past few weeks I have been itemising my equipment. I am preparing to utilise my conical for wine-port production, sell my glass carboys, and ferment exclusively in a 12-gallon Polarware pot. Also, likely selling my corny-kegs, two of my CO2 tanks from AirGas, and one of my regulators and returning to primarily bottling my brews as well as pin-casking. I admit my 20-gallon brewsetup is a little oversized for 5-gallon batches, but I just wasn't brewing often enough. And, I like the process of brewing... probably more than drinking the beer. A major plus is that my grain-bed depth will be shallow even for high-gravities (~4" or so)

 

[TonyR]

When fermenting in the brewkettle, how much of a concern is light? My stovetop kettle is stainless with a clear lid - is this good enough or should I throw a sheet of foil over?

 

[Chesterbelloc]

When fermenting in the brewkettle, how much of a concern is light? My stovetop kettle is stainless with a clear lid - is this good enough or should I throw a sheet of foil over?

Light interacts with hop-oils making it skunky like green-bottle and clear-bottle beer.

 

[paparker21]

grab a towel
unfold towel
drape towel over clear lid
...
issue resolved

 

[redsox1]

i have done this several times. i was experimenting with open fermentation some hefe's. - holy bannanas!

 

[Quaker]

I've done my last 15 batches in the kettle. I use hop sacks to enable me to remove the hop matter. I aerate by simply stirring for about a minute after chilling and pitching. Then stir again about 12 hours later when population growth would still be in progress. Absolutely no noticeable ill effects, although no side by side comparisons to prove it. With crash cooling and time, clarity is no issue.

I'm looking forward to listening to the results of the BYO/Basic Brewing Radio collaborative experiment comparing fermenting with and without trub. But I don't see me changing back now.

 

[bullinachinashop]

[I'm looking forward to listening to the results of the BYO/Basic Brewing Radio collaborative experiment comparing fermenting with and without trub.

I am also very interested in the results of this experiment.

I have fermented with everything left in and only with clear wort. I haven't tasted any off flavors, but have noticed differences.

I love the simplicity of just leaving it in the pot for a couple of weeks and don't see why you would aerate it any different than a "normal" batch.

If you brew every 2 weeks, that's 130 gal of beer a year. Sounds about right!

Bull

 

[Chesterbelloc]

I honestly am very interested in fermenting in a brew-kettle for the first-week or so, and just letting the beer finish out in a cask.

 

[dragonbreath11]

I like the idea of using brewpots instead of carboys.

1. Brewpots have handles
2 Do not let in light
3. Do not require airlocks.
4. Easy for yeast collecting
..and most importantly
5. A breeze to clean

 

[wilserbrewer]

I have been fermenting in the brew kettle for a couple of years now. I usually go about 10 days in the kettle, then rack to a keg and let that sit for another week or so before hitting the keezer. Sometimes I will put a plastic bag over the kettle and and wrap a string tightly around to seal it up. Lately, I have also tried no chilling right in the kettle and pitching yeast the next day. If pitching dry yeast, I just pitch and cover the kettle w/ no aeration. If pitching a previous yeast slurry, I aerate w/ a 2 qt sanitized pitcher scooping and pouring the wort back into the kettle repeatedly untill it is all frothed up after a few minutes.

This works well and is a big labor saver in the brewery. I BIAB in the kettle, ferment in the kettle, rack to keg...KISS principle hard at work...and work well it does! Previously many posters asked, "why would you want to tie up your kettle when racking is so easy" To this I reply, no more cleaning and sanitizing fermentors, as the fermentor is the brew kettle and it has been sanitized during the boil. Less tranferring equates to less chance of infection and oxidation.

Couple of weeks in the keezer and the beer pours bright and clean...

If you brew every 2 weeks, that's 130 gal of beer a year. Sounds about right!

I do 1/4 keg batches on a 10 day cylce....so that's 280 gallons a year...shhhh, I would never brew that much...I also have extra kettles if I miss a session

 

[bosunbrew]

I think this is a great technique, and I'm going to start using it with some of my next small batches (2 gallon) in my smaller kettle (4 ga kettle). I'll probably stick with my current technique of chilling and transferring to carboy for 5 gallon batches- I don't like to experiment much with that amount of beer, the stakes are too high! But I will use this technique on weeknight smallbatch brews, when I typically want everything done quickly and want to minimize clean-up, etc. Thanks for the idea, this thread really got me thinking.

 

[befus]

Is there any advantage to chilling the wort in such a situation? With the brew pot being used as the fermenter why would you not just put on the lid and let it sit till it reached your pitching temp? Sounds like a great idea for a Farmhouse/Saison type to me.

 

[dragonbreath11]

Is there any advantage to chilling the wort in such a situation? With the brew pot being used as the fermenter why would you not just put on the lid and let it sit till it reached your pitching temp? Sounds like a great idea for a Farmhouse/Saison type to me.

The main advantages of quickly chilling wort is Contamination and Cold Break. If you cool quickly you can pitch your yeast faster thereby lessening your chances of getting bacteria and wild yeast. Supposedly a good cold break leads to more stable finished product and less/no chill haze though I've read that Australian brewers regularly no chill in cubes and make excellent beers.

 

[SamBrewer]

Never thought fermenting my wort directly in the brew kettle... if it is stainless steal no problem, but I don't think is a great idea let the wort ( specially one with lower pH) for long time in contact with alluminum pot.

It's not recomended to leave food inside this kind of pot ( the porous structure of the protective alluminum oxide It's just not good to perform this kind of job) and I think it's the same thing for beer

 

[Lennie]

I could see there being a problem with no-chill in a kettle. As the wort cools it will suck air into the kettle and there is an extended period where the wort is in a warm range that bacteria love. I would at least chill the wort either with an IC or by putting it in a sink or tub with several changes of cold water to reduce the time in the 90-120F range.

Aluminum kettles would already be inactivated by boiling wort on the surface, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I could see there being a problem with no-chill in a kettle.

I have done it Lennie, and have yet to see a problem.

I would agree, this is not "best practice" if one is looking to bottle a beer and keep it on the shelf for 6-12 months...but for a beer that is going into a keg within a fortnight / two weeks and will be stored at 30 something degrees and consumed within 4-6 weeks of kegging...it works. I'm talking fresh ales, and I don't really fear the 2-3 pints of "contaminated" air that gets sucked back into the kettle during chilling to be a huge risk.

 

[befus]

Well I can see with the BIAB bag I just ordered (thanks Mike) and this idea I may either get myself in trouble, or make an interesting beer or two. I am definitely going to do a Saison like this.

 

[TyTanium]

Bump. I'm currently fermenting a lager in my boil kettle. Mainly because I didn't want to buy another carboy (or bucket). My other carboys are occupied and I didn't want to wait until they were free.

I have 2 questions:
How did you seal the lid? Mine is just resting on top. I thought about running a small bead of silicone caulk around the edge of the lid, but I should've done that ahead of time; too late now. Maybe a bungee cord or some sort of weight? Plastic bag?

How did you do the airlock? I just drilled a hole in my lid and stuck in in...plastic on stainless, not a perfect fit, but pretty tight. Again, maybe a bit of silicone would've been good, but not too worried about it.

I'm not worried about bacteria @ colder temps, but mold may be an issue...it's in a chest freezer. Also may be oxidation concerns since it'll be in there for 2-3 weeks. (I won't lager in the kettle - my carboy will be free by then). Thoughts?

 

[Quaker]

My lid nest inside the pot plus has a lip around the top edge. So it cannot get bumped off easily, and seals quite well. But it's not airtight, so I do not use an airlock and rely on the head of CO2 to protect it once fermenting. Once I confirm activity, I try to keep my nose out of it for a week. I always do ales here, so it only sits in the kettle for 2 weeks before transferring to a keg where I let it set at least another week before chilling.

My kettle has a Brewmometer on it, so it indicates when fermentation is slowing down based on temp lowering. I don't have temp controls here, so it typically ramps from a pitching temp of 64 up to 71 at its peak. Then drops to 68 ambient when slowing down. Wish I could control that easily here.

 

[Lennie]

I have done it Lennie, and have yet to see a problem.

I would agree, this is not "best practice" if one is looking to bottle a beer and keep it on the shelf for 6-12 months...but for a beer that is going into a keg within a fortnight / two weeks and will be stored at 30 something degrees and consumed within 4-6 weeks of kegging...it works. I'm talking fresh ales, and I don't really fear the 2-3 pints of "contaminated" air that gets sucked back into the kettle during chilling to be a huge risk.

Sounds good to me, I'm certainly no fanatic when it comes to sanitation. If I was doing it I'd probably drape a clean towel over the kettle and secure it with some tape or a large rubber band. I think this would add a little gross filteration for any air going in.

I just won a new kettle, bringing my colelction to three. I should give this a try.

 

[TyTanium]

I'm currently fermenting a lager in my boil kettle.
How do you seal the lid? Mine is just resting on top.

Update:
Saran wrap around the top lip of the kettle to act as a gasket between the kettle and the lid. Works like a champ. Thanks to Boerderij_Kabouter for the suggestion!

Simple solution FTW.

 

[bcltoys]

I hate to do but here goes,my question are any of you guy's still using your brew kettle's to ferment in and does anybody dry hop in your kettle or do you do that in a secondary.